Sandra Smith McClarty of Jupiter, Florida, went to her heavenly home on April 25, 2019, following a short battle with cancer.
Sandra was born on June 7, 1947, to Tollie M. and Ruth Freeman Smith.
Sandra graduated from Greenwood High School in 1965 and from Delta State University with a Bachelor of Science in education in 1969. She taught school in Carroll County and later went to Mississippi State University, where she earned a master’s degree in special education.
She served as the regional director at the Montana State Department of Special Education for several years. Sandra also worked as a sales, training and merchandising representative for Bristol Myers Squibb for a number of years, during which time she resided in Franklin, Tennessee. She also was involved in real estate and property ownership/management during her years in Tennessee.
Following a move to Jupiter, Florida, Sandra and her husband, Bill, owned and operated Water Zone Inc., a water softener/purification business specializing in purified water to hospitals for dialysis patients, in West Palm Beach. Most recently Sandra worked as a real estate agent at Sales & Rentals at Abacoa Inc.
Sandra loved her family, her friends, hiking the trails in her beloved Montana, and sitting and listening to music on the porch of her family’s cabin at Bitterroot Lake in Kalispell, Montana. She made friends easily and for life. Her infectious laughter and her beautiful smile would light up a room. She was a faithful wife and devoted mother and grandmother.
Sandra leaves to cherish her memory her husband, William “Bill” McClarty, daughter Chelsea (Ryan) Gunn, grandsons Jude and Micaiah, sister Dembie Elaine Copenhaver, nieces Lani (Thierry) Daubenspeck, Ramona (Phillip) Rizzo and Connie Rhodes, and their children, Phil Rizzo, Paul Rizzo, Richard Rhodes Jr., Will Daubenspeck, Cole Daubenspeck, plus extended McCarty family members in Montana and a host of friends. Sandra was especially close to her son-in-law’s parents, Bill and Lynda Gunn. Lynda Gunn was a devoted caregiver to Sandra for the duration of her illness.
Sandra was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Maxine Nokes.
A memorial service to celebrate her memory will be held on Saturday, May 18 at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Greenwood. Friends and family will gather at the patio area at 10:30 a.m., with the service to follow in the sanctuary at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sandra’s memory to a favorite charity.